A Summer To Remember - The Mystery of the Fire
by Blaire-Hammond
Summary: The Bob-Whites have solved their second case after finally being reunited. They are safe and happy and looking forward to the rest of their summer. But when the Wheeler's old home goes up in flames, what extent will Trixie and her friends go to to find the culprit? And has their summer back together been ruined for good? Book 3 of the Bob-Whites Summer series.
1. Fire!

**Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Fire**

* * *

**Chapter 1. Fire!**

Jim pulled up outside of the mansion and Honey jumped out racing for her home. A fireman came out from behind his truck, grabbing her and stopping her from getting any closer to the flames.

Trixie got out of the car and raced after her friend. Honey was sobbing and had crumpled into a heap on the ground. The fireman was trying to comfort her.

Brian and Jim followed Trixie. Trixie bent down beside Honey.

'Com'on Honey, come with me.' Trixie said soothingly.

Brian helped Honey up and the four friends went back to the car. Jim drove them down to Crabapple farm.

'Who would do something like this?' Jim asked as they helped Honey inside.

Mrs Wheeler came rushing to Honeys aid.

'Oh, darling its okay. Your father is up there helping put it out.'

She swept Honey into her arms. Jim stood looking through the lounge window up at his home. His real home.

'I can't believe this. Who would do that?' He asked.

Mrs Belden sat down on the couch, ushering Honey and Mrs Wheeler to sit too.

'I have no idea why anyone would do this, Jim.' Mrs Wheeler said, tears staining her own cheeks.

'I'm going up to help.' Jim said moving for the door.

'Me too.' Brian agreed.

'No, boys. I would rather you stay here and let the firemen do it. That way i know you are all safe.' Mrs Wheeler said.

'But i need to be helping.' Jim persisted.

'Jim, please.' Mrs Wheeler said looking at Honey.

Jim realized that it would make it easier for Honey if they stayed. He turned and went to stand by the heater.

Trixie, all the while, had been watching up at the flames covering the mansion from top to toe.

'Why.' she whispered.

Brian came over to his sister and put a arm around her, 'we will figure out who did this.' he said.

Trixie looked up at her brother, anger filling her eyes. She remembered all the times she had gone to that house, all the fun she had had. How she first met Honey there, and how she had had many sleepovers there. All the memories came flooding through her mind like a movie.

She looked back at the mansion.

'Yes, yes we will.' She said.

**So this is a short chapter, but it is the first one of book 3! Sooooo, keep reading and enjoy! -Blaire x**


	2. Findings

**Chapter 2. Findings**

By the time Honey had stopped her crying and Mrs Wheeler had dried her tears the fire had been put out and it was well into the early morning. Mr Wheeler and Mr Belden came back to the house, covered in charcoal and with grim faces.

'We have managed to save the stables and front half of the house. All upstairs rooms and rooms to the back of the house were destroyed.' Mr Wheeler said as they seated themselves in the lounge with the rest of the Bob-Whites.

Mart and Di had hurried over as quickly as possible but Di's parents volunteered to look after the younger boys while this ordeal was happening. Dan had come back to Crabapple farm as soon as he heard.

No one knew what to say. They all just sat there, grimly.

'Any idea how it started?' Trixie finally asked.

'They aren't sure. The police and firefighters are searching the house now. But they are quite sure that the fire started at the back of the house.' Mr Belden supplied.

'Sergeant Molinson said he would contact us as soon as they find anything.' Mr Wheeler added.

'What are we going to do with the house?' Jim asked.

'I don't know, Jim.' Mrs Wheeler answered, looking at her husband.

'Oh mother, we have to find out who did this!' Honey said angrily.

'How do you know it wasn't an accident?' Mrs Wheeler questioned.

'No one has lived in the house for 2 years. How could it possibly have just started by itself. Someone did this.' Honey said sternly. 'I just know it.'

Trixie had to admit that she felt the same way. The house hasn't been occupied in a long time and the power had been switched off along with other things such as the water pumps and gas. It was no point having them running if no one was living there. There was no way a match could just light itself. So that leaves one last option.

'I think we should all have something to eat. Starving ourselves until we hear anything wont help anyone.' Mrs Belden said getting up and leaving the room.

'I'll help you moms.' Mart said.

'Me too.' Di agreed, jumping up from her seat by Mart on the couch and heading with Mart to the kitchen.

After Mrs Belden had made everyone some sandwiches and fresh lemonade, the group sat down to eat.

Trixie still felt horrible, and eating was the last thing she wanted, but she knew that it would do her no good to not eat.

Jim came to her side.

'You okay?' She asked him.

He sighed, 'I don't really know what to say. I feel so helpless and angry. I feel like i have lost my home. That place was the only real home i knew.'

Trixie took his hand, squeezing it. 'We will find who did this and they will get what they deserve.' Trixie said more aggressively then the expected.

Jim tensed, 'I'll do anything to find who did this.

They were interrupted by a sudden knock at the door.

Sergeant Molinson came in holding something with gloved hands.

'Sergeant, what is it?' Mr Belden asked.

'We have searched the house and found that the fire did indeed start towards the back of the house. We found petrol containers dumped behind the stables.'

'Were they our containers?' Mr Wheeler questioned.

Sergeant Molinson nodded.

'What else?' Mrs Belden prodded.

'We found a lighter, but it has been very much destroyed.'

'Anything else?' Jim asked stepping forward.

'Well, we seem to have found something that wasn't completely destroyed.' He answered.

'Oh?' Honey questioned.

Sergeant Molinson held up the jacket.

Trixie's eyes widened. She looked at Jim, then to Honey. She suddenly remembered someone who had had access to the Wheeler's house for the past year. Someone who knew the place well and had access to the petrol containers that were stored in the Wheeler's stables. Someone who owned that jacket.

'Oh my gosh!' Honey squealed, 'Isn't that Regan's jacket?'


	3. Regan

**Please head over to my page and read my Tomorrow When The War Began Story! Please review and let me know what you think? :) It would mean a lot if you all did! Thanks. **

**Also i would like to thank all the dedicated readers that have been reviewing and reading my stories! It all means so much to hear that so many people enjoy my writing.**

**I would like to especially thank JimTrix who has been reading my series since the very first chapter of my very first book in this series and has reviewed a number of times. So, thank-you! :)**

**Still cant believe i'm up to book 3 already! Enjoy this chapter. ****-Blaire x**

******Chapter 3. Regan**

Honey looked across at Jim and Trixie, worry filling her eyes. A silent agreement passed through the three. They wouldn't explain what Regan had _really _been doing there, but would tell the police that he was innocent.

'Regan came down to check everything was in order at the house to sell.' Trixie spoke up.

Sergeant Molinson glanced sideways at Trixie, unsure about what she was saying.

'We all saw him. We went up and helped him.' Honey chimed in.

'Yeah, he probably just left his jacket there.' Jim added.

'When was this?' Sargent Molinson asked the three.

'A few days ago.' Trixie said after a long pause.

'Okay. Thanks for the information. Matt, would it be alright if we talked to you and your wife for a minute. Helen and Peter, you can join us too, if you like.'

The parents nodded and left the room, following Sargent Molinson outside.

Honey, Trixie, Jim, Brian, Mart, Di and Dan all exchanged looks.

'Regan couldn't have done it, right?' Di asked no one in particular.

Trixie looked around at her friends, 'I hope not,' was all she could say.

The minute the parents had been taken away for turned into a very long hour. The Bob-Whites grew restless and decided that they would have to confront Regan themselves.

'Is he home at the moment?' Brian asked Honey.

She frowned, 'I think he is staying in Sleepyside at the moment. He wouldn't have been able to come out to the house so easily if he wasn't.' Honey replied, logically.

'Well we had better find him before the police do. We need to know the truth.'

The Bob-Whites took the back door out and climbed into Brian's Jalopy. Brian drove them to one of the three hotels that were in Sleepyside.

They asked the receptionist if Regan was staying there, and were disappointed when she replied no. The second place provided no other answer either.

The third Hotel, however, had in fact had a Regan staying in it for the past week. The Bob-Whites asked for the room number and went to head up the stairs before the receptionist stopped them.

'It has been quiet in that room for the past day. No room cleaning has been done as no one has come to open the door. Your Mr. Regan might just be out.'

Trixie nodded and thanked her before heading off.

The group made it to room 204 and knocked twice. No answer.

'Knock again?' Di asked.

Dan did so and was still faced with no reply.

'What now?' Brian sighed.

Honey tried the door, 'guys... its unlocked...'

Trixie pushed the door open and gasped at what they found inside.

The Bob-Whites pushed into the room and looked around, shocked. The whole room had been ransacked, and Regan was no where to be found. Honey pointed a shaky hand to the door frame.

There, as fresh as wet paint, was a bloodied hand print. One of the same size of Regan's.


	4. Hunch

**Chapter 4. ****Hunch**

Trixie moved towards the hand print.

'Gleeps!' she whispered as she inspected it.

'Get Sergeant Molinson over here now.' Brian said to Dan, chucking him the keys to his car.

With one simple nod, Dan was off.

'I'll come.' Di said following Dan.

'Just get him here as fast as you can.' Trixie said before moving to inspect the rest of the room. Honey stood, staring at the hand print.

'Oh Regan.' She murmured, 'what has happened?'

Jim headed over to Trixie who was standing in front of a small desk.

'Anything interesting?' he questioned.

She shook her head, unsure. 'I don't think so. But I cant be sure. I don't want to touch anything in case there are finger prints.'

He looked at her, 'do you think this is related to the fire?' He asked, shuddering at the thought that someone was doing all this to hurt them.

Trixie returned the look, 'maybe. I can't be sure,' she answered.

Trixie looked off, past Jim, and into the distance.

'What are you thinking, Shamus?' Jim asked.

'I have a hunch. Come check the bathroom with me. If i find what i think ill find in there, then maybe i could be on the right path.'

'After you.' Jim said, pointing towards the bathroom.

The two entered the bathroom, and did indeed find what Trixie had been thinking she would find. Clear signs of a struggle.

The bath rug was stained with blood and fresh puddles covered the floor and bath. There was a smear of blood on the wall, and a clear message on the mirror, also in blood.

_Mad Stranger was here_

Trixie looked at the message.

'Mad Stranger?' Jim questioned.

'Who is that?' Brian asked coming up behind her sister and best friend.

'What the hell happened in here?' Mart asked, shock clear on his face.

'This is horrible!' Honey squealed as she entered the room. 'Who would do this to poor Regan?'

'I don't know Honey. But we will find this Mad Stranger. I'll make sure of it.' Trixie said firmly.

At that moment Sergeant Molinson arrived, closely followed by Spider, Dan and Di.

'What happened here?' He asked.

Brian came forward and explained how they had found the place like this and what they had come there for. This time Honey stepped forward and explained everything. Including why Regan was in Sleepyside and why he had really been visiting the mansion.

Jim turned to Trixie, 'still have that hunch?' he asked.

'I sure do.' She replied.

'What hunch?' Mart asked loud enough for everyone to hear.

Sergeant Molinson turned to face Trixie, 'Miss Belden, would you care to share your hunch with us?'

Trixie took a deep breath, 'I think Regan has been kidnapped by this 'Mad Stranger', and i think the fire at the mansion was a decoy, so Regan could be taken while the police and fire department were all out at the Wheeler's home.'

There was a chorus of gasps and shocked looks.

'But why?' Honey asked.

Trixie shook her head, 'that's what we will have to find out. That, and who.'


	5. Who?

Hey guys! Another chapter :) What do you think of the last chapter? Or better yet, what do you think of the story so far? Please comment/review what you think! Everyone is able to, not just people with accounts, so comment away! It helps to get feedback. :)

Also, adding on to a comment a few chapters ago i made thanking the fans, i would like to say a quick thanks to** WCF** and **thereluctantmonkey** who both have made lovely comments and have given me some great tips with my writing. So, thankyou! :)

Anyway, enjoy this chapter! -Blaire x

**Chapter 5. Who?**

'Who' was the number one question running through everyone's minds. Who lit the fire, who took Regan, who had such a grudge that they could do this to someone. Who, who, who.

Trixie's mind was working at over a million miles an hour trying to think of a logic explanation, or even an explanation at all, but the hunch she had was the best thing she could come up with. And it seemed to fit right in too.

So, no less than 40 minutes after Trixie had explained her hunch to the group and Sargent Molinson, the Bob-Whites had started their brainstorming on who this 'Mad Stranger' could possibly be.

They were working in the lab on the computers at the police station. An older lady named Amy was there helping the group with their task.

They had searched through the dater base for any files throughout the country that included someone calling themselves 'Mad Stranger'.

Amy had run scans on the finger prints that were on the mirror and had come up with no matches. It looked like this person had never existed, yet in some way, he did.

Even a simple search on the internet came up with no real clues, though there were thousands of sites for the name.

'This is usless.' Honey sighed.

'Yeah, we should be out looking for Regan!' Di exclaimed.

'Or helping clear up the rubble of the mansion.' Jim said sadly.

Trixie took Jim's hand, comforting him. He smiled gratefully.

'The only way we are going to find Regan is if we find Mad Stranger. That's all we can do.' Trixie said.

'Jim, if you like, ill come with you and we can take a break from this and help our parents with your home.' Brian offered.

Jim nodded, 'yeah, i think that would be good thanks Brian.'

Trixie could see that Jim was taking it hard. Jim had never had a real home until he had found the Wheeler's. That house was the only real home he knew, no other house could compare to it. Trixie felt for him. And if her hunch was right, then when she found Mad Stranger, she knew she would make them pay.

'Yeah, i need a break too. I'll come.' Dan said getting up.

Mart also rose from his seat and Di stood alongside him.

'Trix and I will stay here and keep working.' Honey said, halfheartedly.

Trixie pulled Jim aside, 'Jim, are you okay?' She asked. She wanted so badly to be there for him, but she knew that he probably need a bit of space.

'Yeah, Trix. I'll be okay.' He half smiled, kissing her forehead.

She smiled at him as he turned and walked out of the room, following Brian, Dan, Mart and Di.

'Would you two girls like a drink?' Amy asked suddenly.

'Yes, thank-you. That would be good.' Honey nodded. 'Trix?'

Trixie was already off thinking again so Honey just told Amy that Trixie would have a water.

'Honey?' Trixie said once Amy had left.

'Yes, Trix?'

'I haven't actually asked... but how are you?'

'Put it this way, when i find Mad Stranger, im going to kick him where the sun doesn't shine. Then ill put him in jail forever.' Honey answered.

Trixie smiled at her friend. 'Before he goes to jail id like a bit of a go with him. He deserves a good kick in the face.' She said chuckling a little. Never had the two girls been so violent.

Honey grinned, 'yes, and then we will let Jim have his turn. And Regan too.'

The two girls laughed lightly. Trixie settled and looked across at her best friend, 'We'll find him. I promise.'

Trixie looked back at the words 'Mad Stranger' on the screen.

Suddenly, it came to her. There in front of her was a website. A website with one simple word that gave it all away.

Trixie gasped, 'Honey!' She squealed.

'What?' Honey asked, shocked.

'Honey, the name! Its an anagram! Look!'

Honey looked, and Trixie was indeed right.

'I think we have just got our first lead.' Honey said, grinning at Trixie.

The two girls hurried off to Sergeant Molinson to tell him.

**What do you think the anagram is? MAD STRANGER. Think chess... ;) Comment your ideas! -Blaire x**


	6. Lead

**Congrats to WCF who managed to figure out what the anagram of Mad Stranger was! :) -Blaire x**

**Chapter 6. Lead**

'Grand Master!' Trixie exclaimed, 'See, if you rearrange the letters they spell Grand Master!'

'What makes you think this person is behind it? It seems like no coincidence at all that Mad Stranger can be changed into Grand Master.' Sergeant Molinson questioned, honestly.

'Okay, well look here. This is the world's top internet Chess website, and this person has been ranked the Grand Master. And if you look here, the name of this person's character is Mad Stranger.'

'Yes, i see that, but i'm sure there are heaps of people who use that name for character's on games.' Sergeant Molinson continued, not seeing the connection Trixie could see.

'But look here, in this person's information section. It says that they have won many world tournaments. They have been rated the best chess player in 22 different states across the world. They have been ranked the Grand Master of Chess on this website and many others. They call themselves Mad Stranger, an anagram of Grand Master. But look in their history section.' Trixie said pointing to the computer screen.

Sergeant Molinson nodded, seeing Trixie's connection.

'Look at the last 100 games. 40 of them have been against a new player, and nearly every single one of them, Mad Stranger has lost against this new player. And look at the name.'

Sergeant Molinson looked at the name, and sucked in his breath, 'Oh.' Was all he managed to stammer, for on the screen, the name of the player who had been beating Mad Stranger was called _Wheeler. _The icon was an unmistakably familiar face. It was a face that belonged to Matthew Wheeler.

'So suddenly, after years and years of being know as one of the worlds top Chess players, someone comes along and actually starts to challenge this person, jeopardizing his rank of Grand Master. That seems like quite a motive to me.' Trixie finished, grinning to herself as Sergeant Molinson realized that she was indeed onto something.

'Chess players require smarts, and need to be clever.' Trixie continued. 'This whole plan, it has been set out quite cleverly. But not only that, also it's been set out like chess. They make their move with the fire, distracting us with a move, we make one by putting out the fire, thinking that we are safe, then they take another move, one they had set up all along, and taking Regan. Suddenly we have lost a piece from our side of the board.'

Sergeant Molinson looked at Trixie in absolute shock, catching on to what she was saying. 'So this 'Mad Stranger' will be getting rid of all the pieces on Matt's side, those pieces being people, until he captures the King. That being Matt.'

Trixie nodded. 'I think this is the best lead we have. Get Amy to run a search for this guy, and find his real name. Then see if she can track down an address.'

Sergeant Molinson nodded, 'Good job Belden.' he grumbled.

Trixie grinned.

As Honey and Trixie left to find the others and explain what Trixie had found, Sergeant Molinson found himself questioning his thoughts he had previously had about Trixie. Maybe she wasnt just an annoying Teenager trying to show off her smarts. Maybe she really did have what it took to be a detective. Maybe, Sargent Molinson had been very, very wrong, something he hated to admit.

He shook his head, 'teenagers.'


	7. A Piece In Their Game

**JimTrix **thankyou for your review! It made me feel very happy. :) And to answer your question, don't worry. There is A LOT more behind who is doing this to the Wheeler's and for what reason. Also, the Belden's will be involved, but in a different way. Thanks again! -Blaire x

**Chapter 7. A Piece In Their Game**

'Whoahhh, wait what?' Jim asked as the two out of breath girls stood before him, trying to explain what Trixie had found out.

Dan laughed as he looked at Jim's confused face.

'Yeah, start that again, i'm lost.' Di said.

'Me too.' Brian agreed.

Trixie took a deep breath, steadying herself, and begun to explain the whole situation again. She explained about Mad Stranger being an anagram. She explained about Grand Master and the Chess site. She explained how Mr Wheeler had been playing against Mad Stranger and winning, and she explained that anyone in the wheeler family or close to them could be next.

'That does work. It makes a lot of sense.' Mart spoke up for the first time.

'Except for one thing... Why would someone burn down our home and take our stable hand just because they lost a few games of Chess?' Jim questioned.

Trixie shook her head, 'I guess some people would do anything to keep their fame.' she answered.

'Yeah, the second this person looses their status as the Grand Master, then... well they will be forgotten about.' Honey added on.

'Wait... that's it!' Trixie suddenly said.

'What's it?' Brian asked.

'Honey said that as soon as this person looses their fame, they'll be forgotten. So maybe this person we are looking for use to be like that? Maybe they were an outsider? Or wasn't very popular? And now they are popular, and well known, they don't want to loose that because for once they aren't being ignored.' Trixie said, piecing it together in her brain as she spoke.

'So, you're saying that we should be looking for someone who may have been a bit of a loner in the past?' Dan supplied.

'Well not exactly those words, but basically, yeah.' Trixie nodded.

'Alright, I think you should pass that information on to Sargent Molinson. It could help a great deal.'

The girls nodded.

'I'll drive you back to the station?' Jim offered.

The girls agreed and headed back to the police station.

After the girls had told Sargent Molinson the next addition to the case, he made the decision to send a police car out to the Wheeler's hotel to watch over them and explain whats going on. Also, Sargent Molinson wanted to interview Mr Wheeler.

Honey insisted on going and Trixie and Jim both decided to head back to Crabapple farm to explain the situation to Trixie's parents then they would meet Honey at her parents hotel.

Mr and Mrs Belden were both shocked and worried, and honestly couldn't believe that in one summer, already three cases had come up.

'This is ridiculous Trixie. This is beyond dangerous now.' Mrs Belden said, tears filling her big blue eyes.

'Moms, don't worry. I'll be fine. This is what i want for my future. The more experience i get, the safe i'll be in the future. Sargent Molinson will be there to look after us.'

'Trixie, Sargent Molinson is a busy man. You cant just rely on him to watch you.' Mr Belden spoke up.

'Dad, please. Please.'

Jim looked at Trixie. Neither parents said anything.

Finally Mrs Belden spoke, 'You are only to help on the case and giving or getting information. No more than that.'

'Thankyou Moms! Thankyou!' Trixie said hugging her mother, then father.

'Alright, we have to go meet Honey at her parents hotel. We will let you know what happens.' Trixie said as she pulled away from the hug.

'Alright Trix, just stay safe.' Mr Belden nodded. Trixie left the room and headed for the car, but before Jim left he stopped and turned to Mr and Mrs Belden.

'I promise to look after her. I will keep her safe.' He said to them.

'Thankyou, Jim.' Mrs Belden smiled gratefully.

'If anything happens to her, i would never forgive myself. I will make sure that nothing happens.' He added, before turning and following the same path Trixie's took out to the car.

**READ AND REVIEW :)**


	8. Two Lies and a Truth

**Chapter 8. Two Lies and a Truth**

By the time Trixie and Jim had reached the wheelers hotel room, Sergeant Molinson had already seated himself in the lounge room in front of the coffee table with his recorder at the ready. Mathew Wheeler sat opposite him, looking at some printed sheets of paper Sergeant Molinson had given him.

'Trixie, Jim.' Honey ushered the couple over to where she stood near the lounge rooms only wood fire.

'What have we missed?' Jim asked his sister as they seated themselves on the ground, absorbing the heat that the wonderful fire gave off.

'Not a lot. Sergeant Molinson just explained Trixie's theory to Daddy and is now showing him printouts of the website and of the history, bio, etcetera.' Honey answered.

'Has Amy had any hits on what Mad Strangers identity is?' Trixie questioned.

Honey shook her head, 'as far as I know, no.'

There was a sudden loud beep that interrupting the groups conversation. Sergeant Molinson switched on his recorder, 'Interview 1 Mr Mathew Wheeler,' he said into the microphone, then sat the recorder down. 'Alright, so, Mr Wheeler, when did you join this site?' Sergeant Molinson asked.

'Only about a month ago, it was only for a bit of fun really.' Honey's father answered coolly.

'And when did you first come into contact with 'Mad Stranger'?'

'After a week, he messaged me on the site, sending a request for a round of chess. I accepted, not thinking anything of it.' Matt replied.

'Did you know of Mad Strangers ranking of Grandmaster?' Sergeant continued.

Matt shook his head. 'No, I never bothered to look into my opponent's information of history. I just play.'

At that moment Mrs Wheeler came in carrying a tray with Coffee on it. She set it down on the table and smiled before taking a seat next to her husband. Mathew raised an eyebrow at his wife and she whispered two words to him that made him chuckle, 'room service.'

'Thank-you, Mrs Wheeler. Okay, what happened on your first game?' Sergeant Molinson continued, lifting his cup and taking a sip.

'Well, I beat him. I didn't think anything of it, but the next day I got another request, but this time it was for a rematch. I just accepted and played along again.'

'And did you win that round?' Sergeant asked.

Matt nodded, 'and the next 10 rematches he requested. Then it became like a daily activity. We would play a game of chess against each other and I won nearly every game. I just assumed that we were becoming friends.'

'Hmm, do you know anyone who you think could be Mad Stranger?'

Matt shook his head, 'No. But since he is the best chess player of however many countries, couldn't you just look up who that is?'

'We would like it to be that easy, but all the contests are done virtually, so over the internet, and this person has always had the same name. They are still completely anonymous.'

'Oh.'

Trixie thought about all this new information. It didn't really help a lot with the case, but it was a start.

'This is going to sound rude, and I apologise if you are offended, but did you at all try to stir up the other player by bragging about your wins or in any other form?' Sergeant Molinson asked, his expression unreadable.

'No it's fine, you must ask all you can to find the culprit and get Regan back. No I didn't stir them up, or at least I didn't purposefully try to. I said a few things here and there like "back for more?" but I didn't mean it in anything more than as a joke.'

'Okay, well I think those are all the questions we have for now. I may need to talk with you further about this situation in the future. Until then, please just stay in your motel and make sure not to be out alone. Same goes for your wife and children. You should also call anyone back at your home who are close to you and let them know what is going on and tell them to keep inside and stay safe. We will alert nearby police stations to make sure they keep an eye on them.'

'Thank-you Sergeant. I'm still so shocked about this. I never thought players would take loosing so personally.'

Trixie suddenly jumped up, 'Personally!' She shouted.

Sergeant looked at her and squeezed his eyes shut, 'Trixie…'

'No, wait. Mr Wheeler, is there anyone you know personally that may have been interested in chess that could possibly have a grudge against you?'

There was a sudden flash of something on Mathews face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. He straightened up and smiled, 'No, I don't believe so.'

Trixie nodded, 'okay. It was worth a try.'

'Alright, thankyou Matt, that's all.' Sergeant said turning off the recorder.

Trixie knew the look Mathew had had on his face before he answered her. It was one of realisation. Trixie was almost positive that Mr Wheeler had lied to her, but for what reason?


	9. Uncover

**So sorry that I haven't been on lately to update. Our internet stick is broken at the moment and also I've been unwell, but hopefully I'm on the mend now. **

**I would like to thank everyone for being patient and also I would like to say a massive thankyou to everyone who has been posting lovely reviews and reading my stories. It all means a lot and there is no such thing as a bad review!**

** Anyways, here is another chapter! Enjoy. -Blaire x**

**Chapter 9. Uncover**

****That afternoon, Honey, Jim and Trixie went to meet the other Bob-Whites at the clubhouse for a meeting and 'catch up'. They certainly had a lot to catch up on.

Trixie explained the interview to the rest of the group but stopped when she got to the bit where she knew Mr Wheeler had lied. Thankfully for her, she hadn't been the only to notice it.

'I think he lied.' Jim said with absolutely no emotion in his voice.

'What Jim?' Honey gasped.

'When Trixie asked that question about knowing anyone there was a sudden flash of realization on his face. It only lasted a quick second, but i saw it.'

'I did too.' Trixie piped up.

'What? But why would my father lie?' Honey questioned shocked.

'I don't know Honey.' Jim answered.

It turned out that the three friends weren't the only ones who had found something. Brian and Dan had come across something in the rubble of the mansion too.

'We were helping clean up the kitchen area when we came across a thread and button of a coat or shirt of some sort. The evidence has been sent off to find a match as to where the clothing came from. Then hopefully if we find something we can go question the shop.' Brian finished.

'Oh wow that's great!' Honey gasped happily.

'We finally have something to go off.' Di chimed in.

'What about at the station? Have they found anything on Mad Stranger?' Mart asked.

Trixie shook her head. 'The guy always went by that name and never put out photos or left any addresses or emails or anything that we can use to track him. He is one smart guy. It's almost like he had been planing this.'

'Maybe he had?' Mart questioned, 'I mean, who would go to all this trouble over being beaten a few times in chess. You said it yourself that Mr Wheeler looked like he might have remembered something. What if this guy has had a grudge against Mr Wheeler for a while over something more then the chess games?'

'You know Mart, that sounds like the best possible explanation I've heard all day.' Trixie said.

Mart looked shocked that his sister had complimented him. In fact all the Bob-Whites looked shocked!

'What?' Trixie asked looking around.

'Anyway, so i think we should head home and get a good nights rest, then tomorrow hopefully they will have something on the clothing we found and we can head over to the shop and question them with Sergeant Molinson. Sound good?' Jim asked.

Everyone agreed and headed back to Crabapple farm for dinner.

The next morning after everyone had got a well deserved sleep the group headed down to the station to see if there had been any finds.

Trixie was disappointed to hear that there had been no advances on the identity of Mad Stranger but she was happy to hear that they had tracked the clothing to a small store on the outskirts of Sleepyside.

The group decided to split up.

Brian, Honey, Jim, Dan and Trixie all wanted to go to the shop and Di and Mart made the decision to stay at the station and continue helping the search for Mad Stranger.

Sergeant Molinson went along with Trixie to the clothing store.

'Do you think it's weird that this person hasn't asked for any demands yet?' Trixie asked Sergeant Molinson.

'We do think it's strange, but it's only been a day, you never know what could turn up.' He replied.

They entered the shop and headed over to the counter.

'Police,' Sergeant Molinson said holding up his badge to a middle aged man with brown hair and wearing a leather coat. 'We were wondering if we could ask you a few questions?'

'Sure...' The man said.

Then in an instant the contents of the counter had been thrown at the group and the man was sprinting for the door.

'Stop!' Sergeant yelled.

'After him!' Trixie yelled racing out the door after the man.


	10. Danger

**Internet stick is still broke. :( So I've been typing the stories at home then quickly posting them using the school's internet, (hehe don't tell them,) so I'm sorry if I am un able to update as often as usual. Hopefully we sort the internet out soon. I'm also on the mend now and nearly better so that's always a positive! And here is another positive for you all; another chapter! Enjoy, and please review! :)**

**Chapter 10. Danger**

Jim raced after Trixie, followed closely by Brian, Honey and Dan. Sergeant Molinson, not being as fit as he used to be, jogged along behind them yelling into his radio for back up.

Trixie could see the middle aged man just in front of her, almost less than a meter ahead of her.

'Trixie, let me get him!' Jim yelled, but being the stubborn girl everyone knew her to be, she didn't budge.

'No I've almost got him!' She shouted back as she lunged for the sleave of the man's jacket. In one swift movement the man whipped the jacket off and took a quick right.

Trixie ran straight past, looked at the jacket, chucked it to a passing Brian who was heading for the police cars that were racing down the road, and back tracked to where the man had taken his quick escape.

Jim was right behind her, following closely.

Moments later Honey caught up to Brian and the two singled down the cars guiding them to where they had last seen the man.

'So you just let him go?' Spider questioned as he got out of the car. Dan and Sergeant Molinson caught up at that moment.

'Of course not!' Sergeant Molinson said.

'Then who's chasing him down?' The second police man asked.

'Ahhh… Mrs Belden and Mr Frayne…' Sergeant said looking around and noticing the raised eye brows.

'Which way did he go?' Trixie gasped as the two came to a sudden halt at the end of the alleyway. There was a back door to a building to the left and a small path leading out to the busy streets to the right.

'If you were him, what would you do?' Jim asked.

'I'd want to go for the streets…'

Jim started off in that direction.

'…but it would be the most obvious answer, so I would take the door and try to find another exit that way.' Trixie concluded turning and taking the handle of the door.

'Alright, in we go. Be quiet and be careful.'

The two pushed the door open inch by inch, trying to minimise the amount of squeaks it made. They snuck in, not bothering to close the door, and looked around. To the immediate left was a stair case, and to the right was an old white door. But straight in front was a hallway with numerous doors along each side.

'Which way now, Shamus?' Jim whispered.

Trixie looked around for any signs or clues. She found none. She thought about where she would go.

'All the doors down the hall seem too easy. People would choose them first. And they are all most likely rooms anyway and probably have no easy escapes.' Trixie whispered.

'Right, so which out of the last two options?' Jim questioned, still keeping his voice in a hushed whisper.

'Well the door to our right could lead through to the lounge or kitchen which probably leads to an exit, but he is probably expecting us to go through there and leave the house, then he can come down and go back out the back door…' She trailed off.

'So?' Jim urged.

'So I say the stair case.'

The two started the climb but no less than three steps up had they faced yet another problem. The stairs were starting to really squeak.

'Alright, we need to place even weight on the step to try and keep the squeaking down.' Trixie said.

'How do we do that?' Jim asked.

'Place your left foot on the end of the step the same time I place my right foot on my end of the step. Then put your right foot on the edge of the next step the same time I put my left one there.'

Using this tactic they managed to get up the steps making a very small amount of noise. Once they got to the top they were faced with a long plain corridor. But what was strange was that there were only two doors. Two at the end of the corridor side by side.

'That the room then?' Jim asked already knowing the answer.

'Yep.' Trixie nodded.

'Alright, which way did they go?' Spider asked as the 3 Bob-Whites and Sergeant Molinson lead him down the alleyway and to the dead end.

'In the house, the door has been left open so that must be where.' Dan answered.

'Oh gosh I hope Jim and Trixie are okay.' Honey whimpered.

They stepped inside the house, being careful to look around them for any sign of danger.

'Where now?' Brian asked as they came to the same dilemma that Trixie and Jim had.

'Check the door on the right Spider, take Dan and Honey with you. I'll check the hallway with Brian. Then we will meet back here and make a move from there depending on what we find.

The couple worked their way down the corridor as slowly and quietly as a mouse, hoping not to let the man know that they were there. Suddenly they heard a creek of a floor board from down below them.

'What the…?' Jim begun, but he didn't get to finish, because right as he said that the doors swung open and he was grabbed by a long bony hand along with Trixie and yanked into the room.

'What was that?' Honey yelped as she heard the slam of a door. Spider turned and raced back to the hall.

'Sergeant?' He called.

'Right here, everyone okay?' He asked.

Spider nodded.

'Did you hear the bang?' Brian asked.

'Yes.' Dan nodded.

'It must have come from up the stairs.' Spider answered.

'Alright, you three stay down here, Spider and I will go check it out. If you see anything, call us then run.' Sergeant Molinson said.

The two police officers turned and started heading up the stairs when suddenly there was a defining bang. No, not a bang, but almost like a high pitched _whizzing_ sound.

Brian knew what it was straight away. He pushed past the police and raced up the stairs.

'We've got to get up there!' He shouted so loudly the whole street would have heard. 'That was a gun that just went off!'

**A bit longer then some of my other chapters that are usually 6-8 hundred words, so I hope you enjoyed it! Keep tunned in and hopefully I will be able to update soon. I will try to update as often as possible. Please leave a comment below on what you think of this story so far? All your reviews help me out a lot and let me know what my strengths are and what I need to improve on and it helps to let me know who is enjoying the story. :) Thanks everyone! –Blaire x**


	11. Suspect

**Chapter 11. Suspect **

Brian was the first to hit the top of the stairs. 'Trixie!' He yelled racing for the doors.

'Jim!' Honey squealed right behind Brian.

Dan was next up the stairs closely followed by Spider and Sergeant Molinson.

'Be careful!' Sergeant Molinson yelled but the three Bob-Whites payed no attention.

Brian and Dan both reached the doors first and flung them open only to be faced with a room of absolutely nothing.

'What?' Honey puffed as she came to a halt and looked around confused.

There was literally nothing in the room. Apart from four walls and a large balcony showing off the bright sunny sky directly opposite them there was nothing in the room.

Honey looked at the balcony but couldn't see anything out there. 'Nothing. Where could they be?'

'There's no trap doors in the ground.' Brian said walking around the room.

'And no hidden doors in the wall.' Dan added as he walked around the room knocking on the wall.

Spider slowly moved into the room and looked around. He looked at the balcony closely. Something didn't feel quite right.

'Correct me if I'm wrong, but it wasn't exactly that sunny outside before we came in, was it?' He asked moving closer to the balcony.

Honey looked across at Spider, 'No, in fact I believe it was on the verge of rain.'

Brian rose from the ground where he had been looking at the cracks in the floor and headed over to the balcony. He grabbed the door handle and twisted. The door opened up to a dark basement looking room, only it wasn't the basement.

'An illusion! To make people think that it's a dead end!' Dan concluded.

'Clever…' Sergeant Molinson whispered. 'Alright, Spider and I will head in first and check it out. You three stay here.'

'No way. That's my sister and my best friend in there that is in danger!' Brian said stubbornly moving forward to where spider and Sergeant Molinson stood at the entrance of the 'basement'.

'Me too. No way am I staying here.' Honey agreed and stepped forward too.

Dan looked at Sergeant Molinson.

'I suppose you want to come too?' He asked Dan.

'Of course! Those are my friends in there!' He replied.

Sergeant Molinson stared hard at the three friends. He sighed, 'fine.' He finally said, 'but at the first sign of danger, you head straight back here. And don't get in our way.'

The friends agreed and the five of them edged forward into the dark room.

It was humid and dusty in the room. Thick concrete walls ran along each side of them and there was a small hall before they came to an intersection. It was almost like a maze.

'Left or right?' Spider questioned, 'or straight forward.'

'Or backwards.' Honey whimpered leaning into Brian's arm.

Sergeant ignored this and looked around at the ground, 'It's a dirty ground, you can see the footprints. Three different sets of them. They must have gone left.' He said heading off in that direction. Everyone else followed closely behind him.

After a while they realised that the floor was taking them down, lower and lower until Brian was sure that they must be underground. The narrow hall panned out into a bigger room, or rather, a cave.

The walls were made of rock and the floor was dirt. There were more tunnels that lead off in different directions.

'Wow, who would have thought one simple house could lead to all this…' Honey murmured.

'It's unbelievable.' Dan commented.

**'**Let's keep moving, I can still see the trail.' He said as he pulled his flashlight out and shone it at the ground. They followed the trail to the largest tunnel and headed on down it.

'Brian…' Honey began but was stopped as she felt his hand entwine with hers, and she suddenly felt very safe.

'Brian…' Dan whispered.

'No.' Brian said sternly, holding back a chuckle.

'Fine, don't hold my hand then.' Dan said pretending to sulk.

Suddenly the flashlight hit a dead end.

'Dead end.' Spider told the three friends as they wondered why everyone had stopped.

'Again? Seriously?' Dan said angrily.

'No, not a dead end, but a trap.' A husky voice said from behind them.

The five spun round and came face to face with the man from the shop.

'Why are you following me? Why did you chase me? I haven't done anything.' He said.

Honey noticed straight away that Jim and Trixie weren't with him.'

'You have done something. Otherwise you would not have run. That just made you look guilty. And now you have kidnapped two children.'

'Teens.' Dan corrected Sergeant Molinson.

Sergeant glared at him.

'Carry on.' Dan mumbled.

'No I didn't do anything! Police make me nervous.' The man said shyly.

Sergeant Molinson noticed a gun in the man's left hand.

'Alright, so where have you put the two chil- ah teens?' Sergeant Molinson asked.

'They are fine.' He answered, his hand twitching on the trigger.

'Alright, we can discuss this like adults. There is no need for any harm to come to anyone. Just put the gun down.'

'No, no, no, NO, NO!' He shouted, 'You lie, you always lie! I'll just be put away again!' he cried raising the gun.

'No, we won't. Not if you really haven't done anything. We just need to ask you some questions and you can help us greatly.' Spider said slowly edging forward to the gun.

'Help …. You?' He mumbled.

'Yes, you can help us.' Spider continued to edge closer to the gun.

All the while Honey was clinging tightly to a worried Brian and Dan was watching Spider with admiration.

'All you have to do is give Spider the gun, we won't take you to jail.' Sergeant Molinson said.

'You won't?' He said, his arm shaking uncontrollably.

Spider reached out and took a hold of the gun.

'NO!' The man shouted and ripped his hand free. He turned the gun to Spider and was second's away from shooting when out of nowhere Jim appeared with a plank of wood and hit the man over the head with it.

'Wooo.' He hissed as he fell forward onto his knees and passed out on the ground.

'Jim!' Honey squealed. She ran forward and threw herself into his arms.

'It's alright Sis, I'm alright.'

'Where's Trixie?' Brian asked worried.

'Right here Brian.' Trixie replied coming out of the shadows.

Brian raced forward and wrapped his arms around his sister. 'I'm so glad you're alright.' He whispered to his sister.

'I love you Brian.' She said smiling.

'I love you too sis.' He replied.

Dan looked happily at the scene that played out in front of him. Sergeant Molinson was cuffing the passed out shop keeper on the ground, Brian, Trixie, Honey and Jim were chatting happily. Dan looked over at Spider.

'Spider! You're alright!' He yelled racing and jumping into Spiders arms.

The four Bob-Whites turned and looked at Dan, all raising their eye-brows.

'What, I felt left out.' He shrugged.

'Alright Dan, you can let go… Dan…Da…Dan…'

Dan let go and turned to see the four friends laughing. Again, he shrugged.

'Alright, Spider and I will take this suspect back to the station, you lot better get going if you want a lift with us home.' Sergeant Molinson told them.

The five Bob-Whites made their way back through the cave and up to the house.

Trixie and Jim explained how they had been tied up along one of the other trails but the suspect had covered their footsteps and then he made different ones to trap them all. Jim had managed to loosen the grip of his rope and get him and Trixie untied. Then together they made their way back to the second trail where they found him about to shoot Spider. So with some quick thinking Jim grabbed a plank of wood from the ground and hit the man with it.

'If it weren't for you, we would probably be hurt or even dead right now.' Honey said admiringly of her older adoptive brother.

Jim just put his arm around his sister and pulled her close. 'I wouldn't let anything happen to you, or any of the Bob-Whites for that matter.' He smiled.

By the time they got home and had explained what had happened to Mart and Di they were absolutely exhausted and headed off to their rooms for a good long and deserving nap.


	12. The Truth?

**I've been trying to update every few days using the schools internet until our own internet gets fixed so again, sorry that it isn't as often that I would like but hopefully all will be fixed soon! Right now I'm on holiday and using the caravans internet (lol) so here is the next chapter! I'll be updating a bit more now that it is holidays.**

**Enjoy this chapter. We are still a long way from being complete so I think this is going to be the longest Trixie Belden fanfiction I've wrote so far! :) –Blaire x**

**Chapter 12. The Truth?**

Sergeant Molinson asked the Bob-Whites in to watch the interview the next morning, though they would only be sitting from behind the glass window and listening. They soon found out that the guy they had brought in belonged to the name Bradley Starchi-Vitch.

'So Bradley,' Sergeant Molinson began, 'what made you run from us?'

'I…..I…..I didn't want to go back! I'll never go back!' He shouted into Sergeants face.

'Now calm down thank-you. We won't worry about that until later.'

Bradley started to calm down.

'Now, do you know anyone who goes by the name Mad Stranger? Possibly from a chess site.'

'Mad Stranger, yes I've heard of him, I've never had the privilege to play against him. Only he sends out the requests to play.'

'The privilege to play him? So you look up to this guy?' Sergeant asked.

'Yes, of course! He is a legend in the chess world!' Bradley nodded eagerly.

'You play chess then?' Sergeant Molinson asked.

'I do, yes. But I'm not sure I see what this has to do with me?'

'Well someone by the name of Mad Stranger has kidnapped someone, leaving obvious evidence behind. The only problem is that we don't know who he is. We can't find his identity anywhere. There was also a large fire at the same time-'

'You mean the Wheelers old Mansion? I saw that! Terrible, I'm glad no one is hurt.' Bradley piped up.

'One of the kids you kidnapped, the red head, was a son of the Wheelers.' Sergeant said.

Bradley shifted awkwardly in his seat.

'Anyway, we found a piece of thread in the fire, and it came from an item of clothing in your shop. Whoever lit the fire bought something from you and we were hoping you could tell us who it was.'

'Oh, gosh I'll need my book records for that. And to see the thread. But what does the thread have to do with the kidnapping?' Bradley asked.

'Spider, go collect the man's records from his shop and bring us the thread.'

Spider, who had been standing quietly to the side watching, nodded and left the room.

'Well, the man who was kidnapped was Mr Bill Regan.'

Bradley looked shocked as he realised the connection. 'So the two are related. What does Mad Stranger have to do with it?'

'Mad Stranger was written in the bathroom after Regan had been taken. There is not much more we have, so it would be much appreciated if you could help us.'

Bradley nodded, 'Yes of course.'

'I swear he has bipolar, he was angry now he is calm.' Trixie whispered to Honey from behind the glass. Honey giggled.

'Have you met Mad Stranger?' Sergeant Molinson asked.

'Maybe. I don't know. I have been to many chess clubs and competitions, and he might have been there, but no one knows what he looks like. His internet name is Mad Stranger, his real life name is something different. We just don't know what.'

'Hmm, okay.' Sergeant nodded.

'Wait! So if this thread came from my shop, that means that I could have met Mad Stranger himself!' Bradley shouted jumping from his seat. 'This is amazing!'

'Sir, just calm down please.' Sergeant Molinson said.

'See what I mean?' Trixie whispered again to Honey.

Bradley calmed himself and sat back down.

'So Bradley, you claim to look up to Mad Stranger, he only requests games of chess, you don't know his real identity so you could or could not have met him, is this all correct?' Sergeant questioned.

Bradley nodded. 'Mad Stranger always attends the Summer Chess tournament at the town hall, although no one knows who he is. It could be any of the contestants. He hides his identity well.' Spider came in with the records and thread at that moment.

'Here you are Sergeant.'

'Thankyou Spider.' Sergeant Molinson took the Records and handed them to Bradley. He plaiced the thread on top of the records.

'Oh well this narrows it down for me. I've only used this thread three times. It is very rare and very expensive. Let me just find the names for you.' Bradley flipped through the books.

'Ahh here is the first name. Mr Carmon Calmode. Please remember customer privacy so don't pass these names onto anyone but the station.'

'I won't, thank-you.' Sergeant said writing down the name and address of the first person.

Bradley kept looking, 'the second one is Mr Stan Marderg and the last one is My Colin Mercutio.'

Sergeant wrote all the addresses down.

'Thank-you for your cooperation with this investigation. We have enough information. Now, Spider is going to take over and discuss you rights with you about yesterday's events.' Sergeant said getting up and heading for the door.

'But I won't be going back. I helped you!' He shouted jumping up.

'Like I said, Spider will discuss your rights with you.' Sergeant left the room and Spider took a seat and started talking to a shaking Bradley.

'So, find what you need?' Trixie asked Sergeant Molinson.

Sergeant nodded. 'We have some names now. And we know that Mad Stranger will be attending the Chess Tournament this Sunday. We have something to now go off.'

'Good.' Honey smiled.

'Yeah it's so much better to know we are making progress.' Jim chimed in.

'And guess who I'm sending to the tournament?' Sergeant asked.

Trixie gulped. 'Really? You want to send us?'

'It would be too obvious if any of us went. Everyone knows who the police are. But if you went, with the rest of your gang, it would just look like a group of kids looking for some entertainment during the summer break.'

'But none of us know how to play!' Brian said.

'Well you have two days to learn.' Sergeant smirked.

Trixie looked around at her friends. 'Let's get to work!'


	13. Chess

**Another Chapter to make up for so many missed ones. :) –Blaire x**

**Chapter 13. Chess**

'So, each player has 16 pieces: 1 king, 1 queen, 2 rooks, 2 bishops, 2 knights, and 8 pawns.' Mart began. He knew the most about chess out of the gang and stepped up to the role of explaining how it is played to the other Bob-Whites.

'You lost me at each.' Dan muttered.

Mart shot him a look and Trixie kicked his leg.

'Ouch! Alright I'm listening.'

Trixie chuckled. 'as you were.' She said.

Mart grinned at her, not something that Mart does often to his almost twin. 'Alright, the goal of the game is to checkmate the other person's king. Checkmate only happens when the king is in a position to be captured or in check as we call it, and cannot escape from being captured.'

Trixie and Dan sat opposite each other, the first to have a shot at playing the game, while the others watched and listened.

'Okay, got it. So how do you do that?' Trixie asked.

'Let's start the game and I'll show you.' Mart urged.

'What first?' Dan questioned looking blankly at the already set out board.

'White always goes first.' Mart said.

Trixie grinned, knowing that that meant she would be first. She and Dan had flip a coin and she had won with lucky heads.

'Each of the 6 different kinds of pieces moves differently.' Mart began, 'Pieces cannot move through other pieces, though the knight can jump over other pieces, and pieces can never move onto a square with one of their own pieces.'

'Right, got it.' Trixie nodded. She went to move her Queen-

'However, they can be moved to take the place of an opponent's piece which is then captured.'

Trixie stopped in her tracks as she realised that her first move could have been risky. She put her hand back into her lap.

'Alright, so what do I move first?' Trixie inquired.

'Your first move should impact on your main goal, to capture the king.'

Dan and Trixie played with Marts Guidance for the next 30 minutes. Eventually, it was Dan who took the crown. Then Honey and Di played one another, Honey winning that round. Everyone had a shot at playing each other until they were sure that they knew what they were doing.

After spending the morning learning chess, some the Bob-Whites decided to head back up to the police station, hoping to have learnt some more news from the interview of the three customers of Bradley's. Trixie, Jim and Di all decided to head off to the police station and the other 4 friends decided they would pay Mr Wheeler a visit and find out why he was lying in his interview. They would then discuss their discovering's later on that night.

'We managed to get them on tape if you want to have a listen?' Sergeant said.

Trixie nodded eagerly.

Sergeant Molinson passed her the recorder and she pressed play.

_'We just need to ask you a few things.' _Sergeant said.

_'Well hurry up let's get it over with.'_

_'So, Colin, are you a chess fan?'_

_'No, God no! Hate the game.'_ Colin replied. Not a good start.

_'Do you know anyone by the screen name Mad Stranger?'_ Sergeant asked.

_'Never heard of him.'_

Trixie stopped it there, 'most likely not him. If he was lying he would be less confident in his answers.'

She pressed next and clicked the play button.

**_'_**_Carmon. We would just like to ask a few questions.'_

_'Okay, shoot.'_

_'Are you a chess player?'_

_'Yeah I'd say so. Not addicted or anything but I don't mind sitting down and playing a game with my son, or logging onto the computer and having a game from time to time.'_

_'Good, so have you heard of a chess player with the screen name Mad Stranger?'_

_'Yes I've heard the name, never played him though. I've seen what he can do and I don't think I would want to play him!'_

_'So you haven't met him?'_

_'Nope.'_

Trixie paused it, shaking her head. 'He doesn't seem to fit the description. It might be him, but I have a feeling it isn't.'

She pressed play on the last one.

_'So, Mr Stan Marderg, you're a bit of a chess fan right?'_

_'Yes, yes I am.'_

_'We can tell from all the chess like things around your house. A nice set up by the way.'_

_'Thank-you, I guess you could say I'm a bit mad about it all.'_

Trixie gasped.

_'Yes, that's a good way to express it. So you'd consider yourself good?'_

_'Well I'm no stranger, that's for sure!'_

_'Yes, so it seems. So, have you heard of someone in the chess world who goes by the name Mad Stranger?'_

_'Yes of course! Such a legend. We have a lot in common with our love of chess and many wins. You could basically say that we are the same person.'_

Trixie stopped it there. 'It's him. He is Mad Stranger.'

'How can you be so sure?' Sergeant Molinson asked.

'He basically admitted it. He did it very cleverly though. But that's not the main thing.'

'Well what is?' Di questioned egger to hear Trixie's opinion.

'Look at his name. Stan Marderg.'

'I don't see it.' Jim frowned.

'Take the MA, skip the R and you have Mad. Put the R between the ST and the AN and add the G, then the ER and what do you have?' Trixie supplied.

Jim and Di bother gasped.

'Mad Stranger.' Jim whispered.


	14. A Big White Lie

**Another Chapter, again, to make up for so many missed ones. Also, thankyou JimTrix for pointing out my mistake. I've fixed it now. :) –Blaire x**

**Chapter 14. A Big White Lie**

Meanwhile, at the Wheelers Motel, Honey was sitting in the lounging area with her mother, father, Dan, Mart and Brian.

'So, how is the investigation going? Any word about Regan. I'm very worried for him.' Mrs Wheeler asked her daughter.

'We are making progress. We have some names now finally to go off but we still don't know were he could be kept.' Honey answered.

'Poor Regan.'

'Yes I miss him.' Honey agreed.

'Well the good news is that we have finished clearing up the mansion and now we are getting a bulldozer in to take down the last part of the house.' Mathew Wheeler told them.

Honey gasped, 'What?! Aren't we going to fix it?'

Mr Wheeler shook his head, 'We aren't living there anymore. There really isn't any point.'

'But-'

'Listen Honey, I know it's hard since that had been a wonderful home, but it's time we moved on. You can still come down to visit like you are now and we will too. Plus you and Trixie will be going to the same Collage so you will still see each other. And the rest of your friends won't be too far away.'

Honey sighed, 'yes mother. I understand.'

Honey risked a begging look at her father and she realised with shock that her father felt the same as Honey. He wanted to come back. She could see it in his eyes. The look was gone as quick as it had come, and Mathew smiled and changed the subject.

'Anyway, why did you come to see us? You don't need money do you?' Matt joked.

'Well since your offering-' Dan was cut off by a kick from Brian.

Mr Wheeler laughed.

'Well, Dad, in your interview the other day…'

'Yes?'

'You lied, didn't you?' Honey blurted out.

'About knowing someone personally who liked chess.' Brian questioned.

'And may have had a grudge.' Mart added.

Mr Wheeler didn't say anything for a long time.

'Yes, I lied.' He finally said.

'Why?' Honey inquired.

'Because it was my fault the person had a grudge against me. I regret it every day. '

'What did you do?' Brian asked kindly.

'My friends and I… we gave this guy a hard time. He was smart, into chess. We bullied him about it. I wish we never did. There were many times he cried when we wouldn't leave him alone. Now, I regret all we did. That's why I didn't say anything. Because I deserve all he is going to do.' Mathew Wheeler hung his head in shame.

'Oh Dad.' Honey whispered.

'I know. That's why we can't tell anyone!' He said firmly.

'But Dad, telling the police will help them find Regan.' Honey pleaded.

'I know. I know.' He hesitated, 'Alright, do what you have to do.' He nodded.

'Thankyou Dad. Now, what is this guy's name?' She questioned.

'Stan Marderg. We use to call him Mad Stranger.' Mr Wheeler replied.

'So you see how Mad Stranger comes from the name?' Trixie finished telling Sergeant Molinson.

He nodded, at that moment Honey and the rest of the Bob-Whites came rushing into the station.

'Sergeant Molinson! We have more information!'

'So do we.' Sergeant replied.

'What do you have?' Trixie asked.

'My Dad, he use to bully this kid in high school and the kid really liked Chess. He didn't want to say because he thought he deserved what he was getting.'

'So he thinks it is this guy doing it?' Sergeant asked.

'He isn't sure, maybe. It's possible.' Brian replied.

'It seems to fit! Only one thing, what's the name?' Di questioned.

'Stan. Stan Marderge.' Dan answered for the group.

Sergeant raised his eye brows, 'So it is him?'

'We have more though.' Dan continued.

'What?' Trixie asked, excitement filling her as she could see how this was all coming together.

'They use to nick name him Mad Stranger.'

Everyone gasped. It all fit.

'Now, we just need to get him into custody.' Sergeant Molinson said.

'Let's go!' Trixie said racing for the door.

'Wait just a minute.' Sergeant yelled.

Trixie stopped in her tracks, 'yes?'

'You can't go, its to dangerous.' He said.

'What?!' Trixie yelped.

'It's too dan-' Sergeant Molinson was cut off by a sudden yell.

'What the?' he began, and that was when the power in the whole building went off.


	15. Lights Out

**Chapter 15. Lights Out**

'Power outage. Must be a pole down somewhere.' Sergeant Molinson said unknowingly.

Trixie nodded, hoping that that was it, but deep down in the back of her mind she knew it wasn't.

''I'll go check the generator.' He said leaving the group of friends behind. 'You lot head home.' He added before he went around the corner.

Trixie turned to her friends, 'next play in the game?'

They all nodded. They knew that this was the next step in the game Mad Stranger was playing.

'But how is this going to affect anyone?' Honey questioned.

'I don't know. But I have a feeling there is more up his sleeve.' Trixie sighed.

'Isn't it convenient how this happened right as we found out who it was?' Jim questioned.

Dan looked around, 'do you think they have the place wired?'

'Oh my gosh what if they do?!' Di squeaked.

'Come on, let's head home and wait for the power to come back on.' Brian said urging the group towards the door.

'Hey, look!' Trixie said moving towards the window.

'All the shops and houses are still powered…' Jim said.

'So only the station has had the power turned off.' Honey stated.

Brian stepped towards the door and turned the handle.

'Uh, guys…'

'Yes Brian?' Dan asked.

'It's locked.'

The group turned to stare at him.

'Hey don't look at me, I didn't do it!' He said innocently.

Trixie raced for the side door, 'locked too!'

Suddenly the place seemed very deserted.

'Um… it's very quiet. Where is everyone?' Di whispered.

'Sergeant Molinson?' Jim called.

Trixie and Brian headed around the corner and down the corridor to the last exit. The rest of the group checked all the rooms. They came back and met in the hallway leading to Sergeant Molinsons office.

'Locked.' Trixie concluded.

'All the rooms were empty.' Mart added.

'What is this?' Dan asked no one in particular.

'That yell… they must have lured the police out with that and then waited for Sergeant Molinson to leave before locking the last door.' Trixie said.

'So we are the targets?' Honey whimpered.

Trixie nodded grimly.

'His next move… taking out some more pieces before he goes for the Queen and King. Your Mother and Father.' Mart murmured, realisation dawning on him.

'Yes… taking us will weaken the opponent… in this case Mr Wheeler!' Trixie added looking at Honey.

Honey's face drained of its colour, turning a pale white. 'What's he going to do to us?'

'I…I don't know.' Trixie whispered.

'Right now I think the safest thing for us is to get into Sergeant's office and figure out a plan of action.' Brian said level headedly.

'Good idea.' Jim agreed.

Trixie stopped them for a quick moment and mouthed something to them.

_Wired._

They all looked around; realising that whoever was doing this could probably hear everything being said. And if not, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Trixie grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a note onto it for everyone to read.

_Head for Spider's office. They'll think we're in Sergeant Molinson's office. Check for wires quietly then we'll go from there._

The group agreed and, quietly as they could, piled into the office and shut the door. Trixie, Jim and Dan took the job for checking for wires and Brian and Mart carefully as they could de-connected the cameras, just to be safe.

Di took on the job of shutting all the curtains and Honey went around the station quickly checking if anyone was around.

She came back sadly shaking her head. Where could Sergeant Molinson be?

Trixie straightened up suddenly holding a small black square in her hand. She had found one. Dan suddenly found another. They put the two together and continued checking. They found no more. Then, carefully as they could, they smashed the wire underneath the chair leg and threw them into the bin outside the office.

'Okay, this is what we've got. So we know people are listening or watching or both. We are alone in here. We don't know what they have planned, but they currently don't know which room we are in which buys us some time. We need to come up with a plan.' Trixie said in a hushed whisper as the group seated themselves around the room.

'Does anyone know much about computers, phone lines all that sort of stuff?' Dan asked legitimately.

Mart raised his hand.

'Alright, you get the phone and whatever else you need and see if you can work out some sort of way of making contact with someone.' He whispered.

Mart nodded and went straight to work.

'Di, you help Mart out. You two are both pretty smart.'

Di nodded hurrying over to Mart.

Trixie was impressed that Dan, the funny guy, the joker, the jock, was standing up and taking the lead. She smiled at Jim. She could see that he too was impressed.

'Brian, Honey, you two work your way around the station and get rid of all the wires and disconnect all the cameras.'

'On it!' Honey said as she and Brian left the room.

'And Jim, Trixie, your with me.' He grinned wildly.

'What are we doing?' Trixie asked.

'Let's just say, when you're a part of a large gang like I was, you learn a lot of tricks.'

'On no.' Trixie chuckled.

The three ended up setting up traps all around the station. They waited for Brian and Honey to finish their job, than they set to work. They set up warning bells at the doors to let them know when someone was here. They set up secret traps in the offices and hallways. They even set a hole underneath the carpet. It took them a full 20 minutes.

The group then got together and discussed a plan of attack for if/when the person came. The they all armed themselves with various useful weapons such as a lamp post for Honey and a baseball bad for Dan. What a baseball bat was doing in Sergeant Molinson's office, no one will know.

Mart and Di continued to work away at the phone. They were definitely getting somewhere though.

'Alright, we are quite safe now. What do we do?' Honey asked.

'Now, we wait.' Trixie answered.


	16. Trapped

**Hey guys! So sadly I'll be leaving this caravan park tomorrow and I'm not sure where I'll be getting wifi next so I wrote another chapter for you to make up for that. Hopefully it'll only be a few days till I'm next on. I'll try to update as soon as possible! J -Blaire x**

**Chapter 16. Trapped**

No less than a moment after Trixie had said wait did the station spring into action. Everything happened so fast. There was a loud crash and bang followed by a yell. Trixie and Dan looked at each other knowing that whoever it was had just stepped into the pot hole under the carpet and fell into the trash cans they had set up nearby as a warning to the group.

'Time to go into action.' Jim whispered.

Trixie and Honey took their places at the door, keeping watch through the cracks and holding their choices of weapons close to them. Brian got ready with the net they had found and Jim stood with one end of the rope, Dan with the other. Mart and Di continued to work away.

They stayed quiet listening for the warning bells to go off so they knew where he was. The first bell went off, the reception area.

Trixie and Honey backed away and hid behind the desk. Suddenly Mart jumped down with a working phone in his hands.

'Make the call.' Trixie whispered.

'Who to?' he asked.

'Sergeant Molinson.' Trixie answered.

The next bell, Sergeant Molinsons office.

'Get ready everyone. He's getting closer!' Jim mumbled.

The third bell, the computer room.

'Sergeant Molinson! We've been locked inside the station. We have got rid of all the wires- yes they had set up wires. Whoever it is, is coming for us now- We assume it's Mad Stranger- We are staying put. We've set up stuff around the place to hopefully capture him. Get here as soon as possible!' Mart hung up the phone.

The forth bell, right outside the lab.

'What happened?' Trixie asked.

'He understands everything. He had gone over to the power station to see why the stations power was out and no one else's was. He assumed we had gone home he didn't know the station had been locked up. Everyone else wasn't here because they had been called out to a-'

Suddenly he was cut off by something. The last bell, right outside their door.

Dan and Jim pulled the rope tight and hid behind the furniture in the room. Brian stood at the end of the room as bait with the net hidden.

'Alright guys, Sergeant will be here soon. Let's just capture this mother!' Dan hissed.

Everyone looked at him.

'What? Too far?'

Suddenly the door burst open. Dan and Jim got ready.

'Well, well, well… what do we have here?' A deep voice croaked as he worked his way into the room towards Brian. He came closer and closer to the rope.

'So, you're friends deserted you?'

He stepped closer to the rope.

'So, so sad.'

And suddenly he was at the rope! He didn't see it. Jim and Dan pulled tight. When the man took his next step his foot got caught causing him to topple over face first.

'Hey! Stupid-'

Brian sprung up, throwing the net onto him. Dan, Jim and Brian held the rope down tight as Honey and Trixie rushed forward, bounding the man's feet and arms.

'Let me go!' he shouted

Di got up and switched on the lights. Brian pulled the net off and Jim and Dan got the man up onto a chair. He wore black clothes and a balaclava. They tied him to the chair.

'So, who do we have here?' Dan asked as he ripped the balaclava off the man.

They all gasped loudly.

It was Bradley.


End file.
